You probably have heard that our childhood affects our adult behaviors. Dr. Gabor Mate, a Hungarian-Canadian physician, author, and expert on addictions among others, is a firm believer. In a recent speech in London, he talked about how childhood trauma – big or small – colors how we act and express ourselves as adults and focused on the direct relation that exists between our way of living and our physical and mental health.

It’s true that our lives today are more hectic and stressful than ever. We run around in so many different directions we hardly have the time to take care of ourselves let alone our inner needs. With the occasion of World Mental Day on October 10th, there’s been a lot of talk about how resilience helps us cope with stress. Here are nine effective and easy-to-follow ways to nurture your mental well-being and live a less stressful life!

1. Create an “Every day is a gift” empowering morning routine. When you wake up in the morning, instead of jumping out of bed and rushing to your daily routine, take a couple of minutes to think of this new day as a gift to yourself. You are here, alive on this planet for one more day.

2. Take advantage of this day to do great things. Drink enough water. Water keeps your body hydrated and alive. If you are not naturally into this habit just schedule water breaks during your day. A small tip: it helps to have a bottle next to you right on your desk.

3. Take technology breaks. Take small breaks from your mobile, computer, or tablet screen. I have often fallen into the trap of doing mindless scrolling, especially when I’m tired. What I now do – and you can certainly do it as well – is that I plan these breaks and put them in my calendar just as I would for any other meeting.

4. Take small, regular breaks during your day every 40 mins or 60 mins. Get up from your chair and stretch. You can even walk for 5 minutes whether it’s from room to room or getting out of the building if possible.

5. Keep a gratitude journal – morning or evening. Think of at least 5 things you’re grateful for whether it’s the fact that you have hot water or that you have good friends or that you’re healthy. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you keep focused on the good things in your life.

6. Meditate for 10-15 minutes during the day. Meditation helps you to empty your mind and to concentrate better. Whether it’s guided or not sit still and offer yourself this time as a gift.

7. Celebrate your wins, big or small, every day. Especially the small ones as we do not usually pay attention to them and consider them a given.

8. Get connected. Healthy relationships offer quality to our lives. Build strong positive relationships with loved ones and friends to get support. Volunteering is one way to get connected when for example you move to a new area.

9. Talk to a therapist, a life coach, or a person that suits your needs. You will feel relieved and at the same time empowered talking to someone who’s only there to listen to you and understand you without any criticism.

With time and practice you can build your resilience, learn to stay calm when facing pressure and live a happier and more balanced life. Needless to say you will be a positive example for your children, if you have any, and your friends’ children who will thank you for this gift.

Originally published on: itsmylife.gr

Golden and creamy perfection! Bougatsa (Greek custard pie with phyllo) is a traditional Greek dessert made with the most creamy custard wrapped in golden brown crispy phyllo, sprinkled with melted butter, and garnished with icing sugar and cinnamon. Simply amazing! A traditional Greek dish, perfect for every time of the day, as a delicious snack or a filling dessert.

The key to making the most flavourful Greek Bougatsa is to use good quality fresh butter to butter the phyllo sheets. The authentic Greek Bougatsa recipe calls for ‘galaktos’ butter made from cow’s milk, which has a rich flavor and amazing smell!

Working with phyllo can be tricky as it's brittle and can dry out very quickly. Don’t forget to brush the top of the bougatsa with enough butter and scar with a knife to help release the steam.

Try out this delicious traditional Greek bougatsa recipe and amaze your friends and family with this crispy and velvety delight. Enjoy!

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 8-10 portions

Ingredients

For the bougatsa

• 400–450 g phyllo dough
• 200 g butter, melted
• 200 g sugar
• 1 kg milk
• 120 g all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping

• ground cinnamon
• icing sugar

1. To make this traditional bougatsa recipe, start by making the filling. To prepare the filling for the bougatsa add in a large bowl the sugar, eggs, and flour; whisk until the ingredients combine.
2. Pour into a saucepan the milk and the vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Right before the milk comes to a boil, pour 1/3 of the milk & vanilla extract mix into the flour mixture from step 1 and stir.
3. Turn the heat down. Add the flour & milk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining warm milk. Whisk very quickly, until the mixture has thickened and is smooth and creamy. Do not remove the pan from the stove while whisking. This should take 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the stove and stir occasionally to keep the custard from forming a skin on top, while you prepare the rest of the bougatsa recipe.
5. For this bougatsa recipe, you will need a large baking tray, approx. 20×30 cm / 8×12 inch. Using a pastry brush, butter the bottom and sides of the tray.
6. Unroll the phyllo dough from the plastic sleeve. To make this bougatsa recipe you will need 10-12 phyllo sheets. Use 5-6 sheets of phyllo for the bottom of the bougatsa and 4-5 sheets for the top.

To read this article in full and find out useful tips for a delicious bougatsa, please visit: mygreekdish.com

Legendary rapper 50 Cent will be in Athens, Greece to participate in a unique concert with Greek popular singer Konstantinos Argyros. The concert that will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Athens will be the final act of Argyros’ highly successful summer tour.

Argyros, one of the most beloved Greek singers of his generation and 50 Cent, one of the most iconic rappers in the world, will join forces on October 29th in order to offer their Greece-based fans a unique music experience.

The concert will be opened by Josephine, FY, and The Kings. Special guests include Light and Rack.

130 research, academic, educational organizations | 70 different interactive events | 25 kids labs | 15 workshops | 20 talks | exhibits of art and science | contests | stand up science | various activities for mixed age groups

 

Do you want to play football and sumo wrestle with a robot? Would you like to touch a planet? What if you could create your own colorful stars and volcanos? Athens Science Festival, the big celebration of science, returns from October 21st to 23rd 2022 at  Technopolis City of Athens inviting children and adults to discover science through art, interaction and play, at a fascinating three-day festival in the heart of the city.

 

The festival, inspired by Foresight, the strategic exploration of different possible versions of the future, leads us to the Worlds of Tomorrow, which are coming at an accelerated speed and introduce us to concepts such as climate change, artificial intelligence, robotics and sustainable development. Through experiential workshops and interactive exhibits, participants will have the opportunity to learn about computer vision, program and drive their own Minibot, travel mentally through our solar system and discover the role played by satellite technology in combatting the effects of climate change.

 

The versatile program of the festival includes original activities for every age: 70 interactive events, 25 kids labs, 15 workshops for adults, 20 talks, art and science exhibitions, contests, stand-up science. Moreover, this year leading scientists, academics and professionals from all over the world will participate in the Athens Science Festival, attempting, through their talks, to provide answers to a series of up-to-date issues.

 

 

The Minoan Robotsports Competition (MRC) invites you to a sports robotics competition, football and sumo, organized by Hellenic Educational Robotics Organization, H.E.R.O

 

The award-winning interactive exhibition "Planets in your Hand", organized by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Physics, returns to Technopolis City of Athens. The participants will have the opportunity to feel and perceive through the sense of touch and sight the characteristics of each planet such as the atmospheric and geological conditions that prevail on them, the temperature, and the wind. 

 

Mr. Chem takes us to his laboratory and together with children runs the most impressive experiments with everyday materials found in our kitchen. He creates colorful stars, builds his own volcanoes, and reads hidden messages. Organization: KLEIDARITHMOS Publications

 

Also, for yet another year, top representatives of the academic community are joining us at Technopolis with the aim of helping us uncover what the future awaits us. This year's guests include:

 

Dr. Sanjay Sharma, associate professor in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (SECAM) at the University of Plymouth, will be at the opening ceremony of the festival, on October 21, to present the applications of Artificial Intelligence in shipping and the most important steps towards achieving maritime autonomy. Ηis talk with the title “Using AI to navigate” will take place on the main stage with the support of the British Council. 

 

Dr. Matthew Gardiner, artist and key researcher at Ars Electronica Futurelab introduces us to oribotics (origami + robotics). Through his interesting talk with the title "The Art & Science of Origami & Robotics", that will take place on Sunday 23 October, we will learn how his research relates to the study of folding in nature and learn about Oribotics, Origami Robotic methods and their various applications. The talk will take place with the kind support of the Austrian Embassy in Athens. 

 

The great celebration of science awaits you! Book your ticket now to discover the Worlds of Tomorrow !

2022 will probably turn out to be a new record year for Greek tourism, according to the data available so far, as travel receipts are expected to approach Euro 20 billion, significantly exceeding the corresponding size of 2019 (Euro 18.2 billion). Tourism is a major contributor to the Greek economy and a sector of rising competitiveness at the global level as it accounts for almost 25% of Greece’s GDP. The impressive increase in tourist flows though calls attention to over-tourism concerns regarding particularly some popular tourist destinations in Greece. The need to readjust the business model of tourism in the country has already been raised by analysts, the tourist industry, but also competent Greek authorities.

Towards a sustainable model of tourism

The increased tourist flows have raised serious concern among the tourist industry as professionals are realizing the importance of a sustainable model of tourism against the threat of climate change and over-tourism in certain time periods or destinations. At the same time there is a growing concern about Greece following the modern mega-trends in tourism ensuring the quality of services.

The Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) research body INSETE, has published in cooperation with Deloitte company, the study “Greek Tourism 2030 | Action Plans” taking into account global trends that affect future tourism development in order to help decision-makers improve the Greek tourism product. The study proposes actions that could lead to the extension of the tourism season, improve the share of tourist activity and demand across the country, as well as increase the average length of stay, and other factors to help the tourism economy.

Greener projects by Greek authorities

The Greek Ministry of Tourism has set as a top priority the extension of the tourism season in an effort to reduce pressure in specific areas and time periods, mainly through all year-round campaigns promoting winter tourism, city breaks, Easter destinations, lesser-known summer destinations in Greece, etc. Infrastructure upgrades in order to mitigate the consequences of massive traffic flow, particularly in the islands are also planned, while a key priority of the Ministry is the transition of the Greek tourism industry to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly development model in order to deal with the effects of the climate crisis.

To this end the Ministry of Tourism and Google recently announced their cooperation concerning the creation of new training programs for small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, in collaboration with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). At the same time, Google has announced $1 million in funding from Google.org to support organizations that help social enterprises in Greece, with an emphasis on sustainability and ecotourism.

To read this article in full, please visit: greeknewsagenda.com

What is love? Surely there is no single answer to this question, and this is why the Ancient Greeks had six different words to describe love. Knowing these can change your life.

Looking for an antidote to modern culture’s emphasis on romantic love? Perhaps we can learn from the diverse forms of emotional attachment prized by the ancient Greeks.

Today’s coffee culture has an incredibly sophisticated vocabulary. Would you like a cappuccino, an espresso, a skinny latte, or maybe an iced caramel macchiato?

The ancient Greeks were just as sophisticated in the way they talked about love, recognizing six different varieties. They would have been shocked by our crudeness in using a single word both to whisper “l love you” over a candlelit meal and to casually sign an email “lots of love.”

So what were the six loves known to the Greeks? And how can they inspire us to move beyond our current addiction to romantic love, which has ninety-four percent of young people hoping—but often failing—to find a unique soul mate who can satisfy all their emotional needs?

1. Eros, or sexual passion

The first kind of love was eros, named after the Greek god of fertility, and it represented the idea of sexual passion and desire. But the Greeks didn’t always think of this as something positive, as we tend to do today. In fact, eros was viewed as a dangerous, fiery, and irrational form of love that could take hold of you and possess you. Eros involved a loss of control that frightened the Greeks. This is odd, of course, because losing control is precisely what many people now seek in a relationship. Don’t we all hope to fall “madly” in love?

2. Philia, or deep friendship

The second variety of love was philia or friendship, which the Greeks valued far more than the base sexuality of eros. Philia pertained to the deep comradely friendship that developed between brothers in arms who had fought side by side on the battlefield. It was about showing loyalty to your friends, sacrificing for them, and sharing your emotions with them. (Another kind of philia, sometimes called storge, embodied the love between parents and their children.)

3. Ludus, or playful love

Ludus was the Greeks’ idea of playful love, which referred to the affection between children or young lovers. We’ve all had a taste of it in flirting and teasing in the early stages of a relationship. But we also live out our ludus when we sit around in a bar bantering and laughing with friends or when we go out dancing.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

 

 

 

 

 
@the_clumsies

 

 

It is worth mentioning that the No.1 on the list for two consecutive years, the London Connaught Bar, was in 8th place. Just like last year, London's Tayēr + Elementary took second place. 

 

Three bars from Barcelona were in the top 10 of this year's list of the 50 best bars in the world. A total of four bars from Spain made the top 50, while Italy also managed a strong showing, with four Italian bars making the list. The list is the result of the votes of 650 bartenders and bar owners, taste journalists, and cocktail experts.

Originally published in Greek on: olivemagazine.gr

Translated by: Codico Lab

Main image: @line.athens

 

   

Enastron 

 

 

    

Ianos Cafe

 

 

Where else will you find a cozy bookstore, gallery, and coffee shop all in one? Free Thinking Zone is all of the above and so much more. It is a place full of warmth and positive vibes where you can meet new people and share your ideas or spend some quiet time browsing the permanent and periodic book collections. A broad spectrum of events takes place at the bookstore, including book presentations and other cultural events.  

Address: Skoufa 64, Athina
Telephone: 21 0361 7461

 

 

A measure aimed at reducing traffic in downtown Athens, by which cars with license plates ending in an odd number can enter the city center on odd days of the month and those with even numbers on even days, came back into effect on Monday, October 10.

The so-called “Athens ring” (daktylios), which was suspended over the summer, is in force from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.

The restrictions do not apply to low-emission vehicles. However, the owners of electric, natural gas, autogas, and hybrid vehicles, as well as and Euro 6 diesel cars that emit no more than 120g/km of carbon dioxide, must apply for a special exemption permit via a dedicated website (greek only).

Holders of exemptions from last year have up to 10 days to renew them, the Citizen Protection Ministry said.

Originally published on: keeptalkinggreece.com